


Life On Mars?

by Cassia28



Category: The Society (TV 2019)
Genre: F/F, I know everyone hates her but shes underrated, Lesbian Character, Lexie just gives me lesbian vibes okay, Minor Character(s), Sister-Sister Relationship, Sisters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:13:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23143714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cassia28/pseuds/Cassia28
Summary: Life isn't fair. Elizabeth Warner is reminded of this daily in the town of New Ham. Her sister is taken from her and the 'government' (run entirely by a Pressman of all people) wants to take everything else from her too.AKA: everyone hates Lexie but she makes some good points
Relationships: Clark Beecher/Gwen, Gareth "Grizz" Visser & Original Female Character(s), Luke Holbrook/Helena Wu, emily warner & original female character, original female character / lexie (the society)
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't finished this one like I've finished my Nina Visser fic because I honestly don't think anyone will read it. I wanted to share this chapter and the next one and if anyone actually likes them lemma know and I'll keep writing lol.

Elizabeth Warner could not wait to leave her mom for a two week trip to the Smoky Mountains. Granted, she loved her mother and she had to bring her little sister along, but still. Ten days of freedom. She could almost taste it. Her mother was just as ready for a break from her teenage daughters too, but she couldn’t stop the last minute nitpick from tumbling out of her mouth.  
“Are you really wearing that shirt, Emily? You’re going to give me a stroke. I swear to god.” Her mom said. Elizabeth was just glad that the focus was on her sister’s revealing shirt instead of her own. Emily rolled her eyes.  
“Mom, it’s just a shirt.” She said.  
“Half a shirt. And not for school.” Their mother said. Elizabeth smirked.  
“Mom, I can’t believe you called Emily a slut.” She said. Her mother gave her an annoyed glare.  
“I did not. Don’t test me, Elizabeth.” Her mom warned. Emily shoved her backpack into her mother’s hands and pulled on her sweater, ‘accidentally’ smacking her sister in the head in the process.  
“Oh my god, I hate you sometimes.” She groaned. “Seriously, you have no idea.”  
“Of course I do. I have a mother.” Her mom sassed back. Emily’s sweater was just as short and low cut as her shirt but her mom didn’t seem to care. Her mom tried to help her smooth it out but Emily batted her hands away.   
“Stop! I can do it.” She complained. She took her backpack and stomped away, leaving her mother and sister to say goodbye.  
“Be safe!” Her mom said, loud enough for Emily to hear. Her mom hugged Elizabeth, and being the dutiful oldest sister, she hugged back. “No drinking, no smoking, no drugs.”  
“Yeah, yeah. God is watching.” Elizabeth said boredly.  
“Not God, Elizabeth. The forest rangers.” Her mom said. Elizabeth laughed and her mother pushed her gently towards the bus. “Okay, go away now. Mama’s ready for a vacation.”  
“Love you too, Mom.” Elizabeth said sarcastically. Her mom waved goodbye and Elizabeth got on the bus. Emily had already sat down in the front with her friends. Elizabeth passed her and went to the back. She sat in the empty seat beside Lexie, Olivia and Gwen sat opposite them. Lexie leaned into Elizabeth’s shoulder so she could be heard over the chattering of the other students.  
“They’ve been talking about prom since 7 am.” Lexie said, nodding slightly towards Olivia and Gwen. “Gwen forced me to look at every single hairstyle on her Pinterest board on the drive to school. If I have to look at another glittery hairpin, I’m going to scream.”  
Elizabeth nodded in understanding. Lexie offered her an earbud and the two girls turned the music up so they could be excluded from the never ending dance planning. It was seriously all Gwen had talked about for the past three weeks. Elizabeth had no idea that there were so many different kinds of sequins.   
Hours later, Elizabeth woke up with her head on Lexie’s shoulder. She didn’t remember falling asleep. The music had stopped playing at some point and the headphones let off a soft staticky white noise. The busses screeched to a stop and the overhead lights flickered on, rousing the sleeping teens.   
“Change of plans. Rock slide. Roads are closed. You’re back home.” The bus driver announced. Elizabeth shook Lexie awake. Everyone filed tiredly off the bus and gathered in the empty green. None of their parents were there to pick them up. Emily found Elizabeth, her phone already to her ear, trying to call their mom.  
“Well, doesn’t look like anyone was expecting us.” Cassandra said. The busses shut their doors and pulled away, leaving the kids stranded in the empty park. Emily hung up her phone and dialed their mom again. After a few seconds, she shook her head and hung up.  
“Moms phone, it just keeps ringing.” She said. Elizabeth took out her phone and tried to call their mom, thinking it might just be Emily’s phone. It wasn’t. The line rang and rang but there was no answer. Emily gave her older sister a worried look.  
“It’s fine. She’s probably just asleep. Remember, she bought that giant bottle of wine from Costco?” Elizabeth said. Emily nodded,the worry never leaving her eyes. Lexie stepped beside the two of them, letting her arm bump against Elizabeth’s. She held her phone in her hands, trying fruitlessly to contact her mom.   
“Mine’s not answering either.” Lexie said.   
“Maybe everyone’s asleep.” Helena suggested, a few feet away in a different cluster of nervous teens. Elizabeth shoved her phone in her pocket. The light mist was starting to turn into a rainstorm and she didn’t want to be standing around the park when it did.   
“Well, I’m going home!” Campbell announced. Everyone else followed his lead. Gwen and Olivia went with Gwen’s boyfriend. Emily, Elizabeth, and Lexie walked in the opposite direction. Elizabeth’s house was the closest.   
“Want us to walk you home, Lex?” Elizabeth offered. Emily was already unlocking the front door, secretly thankful that her mother had forced her to put on a sweater. The rain stayed at a soft drizzle but the wind had picked up slightly and froze the three girls to the bone. Lexie shook her head no, checking her phone for the hundredth time.  
“I’m fine. I’ll text you when I get there.” Lexie said. She walked hurriedly down the road before Elizabeth could protest. Elizabeth wasn’t surprised. Lexie had once ranted for twenty full minutes about how she could walk herself home and she didn’t need anything from anyone ever, all because Clark dared to drive her home from Gwen’s birthday party. It was one of the main reasons why Lexie stopped getting invited to parties. Elizabeth found it weirdly charming.   
She went inside her house, dropping her backpack by the front door and calling out for her mom. Her mother didn’t answer. Emily walked out of their mom’s room, an unopened bottle of wine in her hand.  
“She’s not here.” Emily said. Elizabeth tried not to look worried.   
“Maybe she went out.” She said. Her little sister remained unconvinced. “I mean, she thought we’d be gone. Maybe she finally downloaded Tinder.”  
Emily unscrewed the cap on the wine and took a swig. Elizabeth tsked her. Emily offered Elizabeth the bottle and Elizabeth took a sip too. She set it on the coffee table and the sisters sat side by side on the couch. They both tried calling their mom again, Elizabeth going so far as to search the house for their mother’s phone, thinking that maybe she had forgotten it. She hadn’t. When she got back to the living room, Emily had the open wine bottle in one hand and her phone in the other. Elizabeth took the bottle and set it on the table, out of Emily’s reach.  
“Cassandra wants everyone to meet back at the green.” Emily said, her eyes glued to her phone screen.  
“Cassandra can eat a dick.” Elizabeth said boredly. Her own phone was blowing up with messages from Gwen and a nearly town wide group chat. Emily laughed.   
“I’m gonna go. Maybe she found something out.” Emily decided. Elizabeth nodded, still scrolling through messages. “Coming?”  
“No. Enjoy standing out in the rain and listening to another Pressman talk out their ass for twenty minutes.” Elizabeth said. Emily stood up, rolling her eyes so hard she nearly stumbled. She pulled her shoes back on and continued talking to her sister.  
“Someone’s bitter.” Emily teased. “Still mad that your boyfriend didn’t win the election.”  
“Okay, one: I would rather die than fuck Harry Bingham. And two: that entire election was totally rigged. She probably learned from her parents.” Elizabeth said. “Seriously, their whole family is skeevy as fuck. I don’t trust them.”  
“You’ve been spending too much time with Lexie.” Emily said. Elizabeth shook her head.   
“You’ve been spending too much time drinking their fucking Kool-Aid. I’m serious.” Elizabeth said. “There’s no way in hell that Amanda Pressman won the election legally. Or her creepy brothers for that matter.”  
“Uh-huh.” Emily agreed sarcastically. She pocketed her house keys and grabbed the bottle of wine from the table. “That’s fascinating, Bets. I’m gonna go now.”  
“Bring a sweater.” Elizabeth said. Emily was already half-way out the door.   
“Fuck off.” Emily said.   
“And leave the wine!” Elizabeth called. Emily slammed the front door. Elizabeth’s phone went off again with a text from Gwen telling her that Lexie is in a mood and Elizabeth should come to the party.Seconds later, Lexie called her.  
“Gwen is fucking idiot.” Lexie said. Elizabeth hadn’t even said hello before Lexie began ranting. She went to the kitchen to find her own bottle of wine and poured a glass, Lexie talking the entire time. “Our parents don’t just fucking disappear, Elizabeth. Maybe Gwen’s parents would gladly ignore her calls but my mom wouldn’t. She wouldn’t leave. It takes four fucking hours to get her to go to the fucking grocery store. Is your mom home?”  
“No.” Elizabeth said. Lexie laughed, like Elizabeth had just proved her point.  
“See! That’s what I’m talking about. Something happened. Your mom wouldn’t just blow you off. My mom wouldn’t just ‘leave’. She would barricade herself in the house if they even suggested evacuating. And Gwen wants us to go to some fucking party?” Lexie asked furiously.  
“The audacity.” Elizabeth said. She took a large sip of her wine and Lexie scoffed.  
“I know you’re being sarcastic but I’m fucking serious. Something is wrong.” Lexie said.  
“Well, do you want to come over?” Elizabeth asked. “You can spend the night here until we hear something.”  
“No. I’m not leaving my house. Not until someone tells me where my mom is and why she left.” Lexie said.   
“Okay, well. I was just going to go to bed.” Elizabeth said.  
“No! No. Do not hang up on me. I’m not done talking.” Lexie said. Despite Lexie being incredibly annoying, a small smile played at Elizabeth’s lips.  
“What do you want to talk about?” She asked. Lexie sighed.  
“I’m not done talking about this!” She said furiously. “I want to know where my mom is.”  
“I don’t know where your mom is, Lex.” Elizabeth said calmly.  
“Why aren’t you more worried?” Lexie asked.   
“Because you’re worried. And if both of us freaked out at the same time, nothing would get done.” Elizabeth said. She’d been in the same position with her mom and her sister a million times. Lexie scoffed so loudly that Elizabeth had to pull the phone away from her ear.  
“I am NOT being crazy.” Lexie said.   
“I never said you were.” Elizabeth said.   
“Well, you implied it.” Lexie countered.   
“Okay. I’m going to hang up now.” Elizabeth said. She pulled her phone away again, correctly assuming that Lexie would start shouting.  
“Do not- Do not hang up on me! I’m not finished! D-” Elizabeth hung up. She finished her glass of wine while her phone vibrated against the kitchen counter. She let it go to voicemail once before answering the second call.  
“I’m coming over.” Lexie said. She ended the call before Elizabeth could say anything, not that she would have anyway. While she waited for Lexie, she texted her sister.  
“Are you having a good time?”  
“No.”  
“Are you being safe?”  
“No.”  
“Are you getting murdered?”  
“Yes.”  
“Cool. Send pics.”  
Emily sent her a picture of one of the football players downing two beers at once. Elizabeth rolled her eyes. Lexie arrived a few minutes later and immediately began pacing across Elizabeth’s kitchen. Elizabeth poured Lexie a glass of wine. Lexie downed it in once sip and Elizabeth gave her an impressed look. She poured another glass for herself.  
“Something is going on here and I’m going to figure it out.” Lexie said.  
“Okay.” Elizabeth said. “But maybe you should get some rest before you like… stroke out.”  
“Fine.” Lexie said. She stopped pacing and walked to Elizabeth’s room. Elizabeth followed behind her tiredly, holding her wine glass. Watching Lexie pace was exhausting. Lexie sat on Elizabeth’s bed, her arms crossed tightly across her chest, one leg crossed over the other. Elizabeth leaned against the doorframe. She felt a little bit like Don Draper waiting to be scolded by his wife for having another affair.   
“Are you going to sleep like that?” Elizabeth asked. Lexie glared at her but a few seconds later she slipped off her shoes and jacket and lied down on the bed. Elizabeth took a sip of wine and offered Lexie the rest. Lexie took it while Elizabeth changed into pajamas and Lexie stared awkwardly at the opposite side of the room. Elizabeth finally laid down beside Lexie, her body practically hanging off the edge of the bed to give Lexie enough space.  
“Where’s Emily?” Lexie asked quietly.  
“At the party.” Elizabeth said. She pulled the blankets down and crawled under them. Lexie drank the last of the wine before doing the same. The girls were inches apart, both of them pressing themselves to the very edge of the bed. Lexie made an unimpressed noise in response to Elizabeth’s answer. “She’ll probably be back soon.”  
Lexie reached up to turn off the lamp beside Elizabeth’s desk. The girls sat silently in the darkness. Elizabeth didn’t want to trigger Lexie into another rant and Lexie didn’t want to annoy one of her few friends. They were both asleep by the time Emily got home.

Elizabeth woke up with her back pressed to Lexie’s chest. Lexie had her arm wrapped tightly around Elizabeth. She couldn’t move without waking Lexie up so she laid there silently until Lexie stirred and Elizabeth pretended to still be asleep. Neither girl moved.  
“I know you’re awake.” Lexie said quietly.   
“I didn’t want to wake you up.” Elizabeth said. Lexie took her arm back on rolled away. The cold hit Elizabeth’s back and she shivered, pulling the blankets up to her chin.   
“I’m going home.” Lexie said abruptly. Elizabeth rolled onto her back as well, so she was able to see Lexie.   
“You don’t want to stay for breakfast?” Elizabeth asked.  
“I don’t like breakfast. It’s the worst meal of the day.” Lexie said.  
“Lexie, you’re so fucking weird.” Elizabeth told her. Lexie shrugged one shoulder. She slipped out of Elizabeth’s bed and pulled on her shoes and jacket.   
“Bye.” Lexie said. She left Elizabeth’s room and a few seconds later, she heard the front door shut. Sometimes Elizabeth thought that Lexie was a weird video game character. Like she was a SIM. She would get an idea in her head and it would be the only thing she could focus on for the next two weeks. Or she would just stand up in the middle of a party, decide she didn’t want to be there anymore, and leave. She just straight up didn’t give a fuck.   
Elizabeth couldn’t get back to sleep so she threw her blankets off. She knew Emily would be hungover so Elizabeth decided to wake her up and annoy her. It’s why sisters were invented. She flung Emily’s door open and jumped on the bed, startling her sister awake and crushing her legs.  
“Good morning!” Elizabeth called loudly. Emily groaned and buried her face in her pillow.   
“Fuck off.” She mumbled.   
“Gotta get up! Gotta greet the day!” Elizabeth shouted. She tugged Emily’s blankets to the foot of the bed. Her little sister smiled like stale beer.   
“I hate you.” Emily said. She reached for the blankets but Elizabeth pulled them further away.   
“How was your party? Did you have a good time?” Elizabeth asked.   
“Go away.”  
“Did you meet any cute boys? Did you do cocaine?”  
“I’m going to murder you.”   
“You can’t murder me if you don’t get out of bed!” Elizabeth said cheerily. Emily took the pillow from under her head and slammed it into Elizabeth, knocking her off the bed. Elizabeth crawled back onto the bed. “You didn’t answer my questions.”  
“The party sucked. I had an okay time. I didn’t do any cocaine.” Emily said tiredly. She rubbed at her eyes harshly. Elizabeth grinned at her.  
“So, you did meet a cute boy!” She said.  
“I hate you.” Emily said tiredly. Her phone buzzed and Elizabeth grabbed it.  
“Why is Campbell Elliot texting you? Please tell me he’s not the cute boy.” Elizabeth worried. Emily snatched her phone out of Elizabeth’s hand. Elizabeth’s phone went off a second later. “Fuck. Why is Campbell texting me?”  
Elizabeth checked the message. Campbell had sent her, and the entire town, a photo of the bridge. Where the road used to be now stood huge trees and dense brush. There was no sign of the old highway.  
“All the roads are gone. We’re trapped.” Emily said, reading the message aloud. “What the fuck?”  
Elizabeth scrolled through the replies. As more people confirmed what Campbell said, more people started freaking the fuck out. There were only two roads that led out of West Ham and both were somehow replaced by forest. It was impossible. Her phone started ringing.  
“This is insane!” Gwen shouted into the phone. “People are going crazy. The grocery store looks like a fucking warzone.”   
“Where are you?” Elizabeth asked.  
“I’m with Clark. He and Harry were the first ones to find the road blocked off.” Gwen told her. “He said that Luke and Grizz are gonna get a group together. They’re gonna try to walk to Greenwich.”  
“They’re gonna hike to Greenwich?” Elizabeth asked in disbelief. Emily gave her a curious look. “That’s insane.”  
“I’m going with. It’s not that far. And it’s not like we can drive out of here.” Gwen said. “We’re leaving once we’re all packed. Listen, I’ve gotta go. Olivia is calling me.”  
Gwen hung up on Elizabeth abruptly. Emily nudged her older sister to get her to explain.  
“Gwen, Grizz, and Luke are all gonna hike to Greenwich.” Elizabeth said. She expected her sister to be disinterested, having never been a huge fan of the outdoors. Instead she perked up.   
“Luke Holbrook?” She asked, finally getting out of bed and finding some clean clothes.  
“Do you know any other Lukes?” Elizabeth asked sarcastically. Emily glared at her. “Why?”  
Emily shrugged. Elizabeth gasped dramatically.  
“Holy shit! Luke was the cute boy!” She said. Emily shushed her even though they were the only ones home.   
“Shut up! It’s not a big deal. We just talked. Besides, he’s been dating Helena for years.” Emily said.   
“But you like him?” Elizabeth asked. Emily shrugged again, a light blush rising to her cheeks. Elizabeth whipped out her phone and started texting.  
“What are you doing?” Emily asked, alarmed.  
“We are so going on this hiking trip.” Elizabeth decided. She texted Grizz and Gwen and told them they were coming. Grizz sent a thumbs up emoji in response. Emily ripped her phone from her sister’s hands.  
“No! You don’t even like hiking.” Emily said.  
“No one likes hiking.” Elizabeth told her. “But everyone likes being in the woods at night with a hot guy. It’s romantic. Luke will have no choice but to ditch Helena and fall desperately in love with you.”  
“Or, I’ll just embarrass myself and we’ll both get Lyme’s Disease.” Emily countered. Elizabeth shrugged.  
“Too late. Grizz is expecting us in half an hour.” Elizabeth said. Emily groaned. “You should probably shower.”  
Elizabeth hopped off the bed and left her sister’s room before she could protest any further. She made a pot of coffee and packed a backpack. She wasn’t sure what you were supposed to bring on a hiking trip so she packed some clothes, food, and a flashlight. Emily packed quickly, despite her protests, and the two girls set off to meet the other hikers.

Hours later, the group of hikers stopped to eat. Gwen and Elizabeth sat on a fallen log, Emily and Luke across from them. Olivia, Grizz, and the other hikers sat around them, forming a small circle. They passed out boxes of crackers and bottles of water. Elizabeth kept sending her sister suggestive glances every time she or Luke talked to each other and Emily was steadfastly ignoring her. Luke tossed a box of crackers to Grizz.  
“Nice toss.” Emily complimented. Luke grinned at her. Elizabeth winked.   
“Hey, where’s the peanut butter?” Gwen asked. Everyone looked around but no one saw it.  
“Is it still in the pack?” Emily asked. Luke nodded.   
“I’ll get it.” He said.   
“No. I got it.” Emily offered. Luke gave her an appreciative smile and Elizabeth could feel the tension rolling off the two. Gwen leaned over to get Elizabeth’s attention and nodded her head towards Luke.  
“I totally support it.” She whispered. “Luke so needs to get laid.”  
Before Elizabeth could agree, Emily yelped. Elizabeth was by her sister’s side in a second with Emily gripping onto her arm for support. Emily swore loudly and Luke was suddenly at her side, holding her up.  
“What the fuck?” Emily whined.  
“What just happened?” Gwen asked worriedly.  
“It bit me!” Emily said. Grizz jumped into action.  
“Clear the area! We need to lie her down.” He said. Elizabeth and Luke laid Emily on the ground. Elizabeth had no idea what was going on, just that her sister was in serious pain. Emily clutched Elizabeth’s arm so tightly that her hand was starting to go numb. “Lie her down and get back. Get back.”  
“Fuck, it’s killing me.” Emily said. Luke stepped back anxiously but Elizabeth stayed at her sister’s side, unable to move even if she wanted to. “It hurts so much.”  
“Just calm down.” Grizz said in a soothing voice. “You want to slow your heart rate down. So, deep breaths.”  
“Her heart rate?” Elizabeth asked. “What the fuck are you talking about?”  
“Deep breaths.” Grizz said. Luke crouched beside Emily and took her other hand. Emily took a shuddering breath. “Yeah, one more. That’s good. Squeeze my hand, big squeeze.”  
Grizz took her hand from Luke. Emily gripped it. Tears were dripping out of her eyes and down the side of her face. Elizabeth was in shock. She couldn’t breathe as she watched her sister gasp in pain again.  
“Can we get some packs to prop her up?” Grizz asked. Luke grabbed a backpack and dragged it over. “ Put it beneath the back of her head. We want her heart above it.”  
“Above what?” Elizabeth asked. Grizz continued ignoring her. Luke took her hand back and Grizz moved to her ankle.  
“Oh, yeah. That’s a good bite.” He said.  
“Is it supposed to hurt this much?” Emily asked.   
“Only if you’re lucky.” Luke joked. Emily laughed. “Don’t worry. Grizz knows what he’s doing. It’s gonna be okay.”  
“Grizz tied a strip of fabric around Emily’s ankle.  
“It’s gonna be a badass scar.” Luke said. Emily laughed again. “Is everyone else alright? Are you good?”  
“She’s gonna be okay?” Elizabeth asked anxiously. Grizz didn’t look at her. “Grizz?”  
“My mouth is tingling.” Emily said. Her grip on Elizabeth’s arm started loosening. “My mouth is tingling. It’s weird.”  
“Grizz?” Elizabeth asked, her voice tight. “Grizz!”  
“She… she, uh-” Grizz said. He didn’t finish his sentence and Elizabeth felt her heart drop. Emily wheezed.   
“Em. Emily, hey.” Elizabeth said softly. Emily met her eyes but her eyes were distant. Elizabeth wiped some of the tears from her face. “It’s okay. It’s okay. Just breathe.”  
“‘Liz… ‘Lizabe- I can’t- I can’t brea-” Emily wheezed again.   
“Grizz, help me.” Elizabeth begged. “Help.”  
Grizz stood up and walked a few feet away. Luke followed him. Gwen took Luke’s spot beside Emily and Olivia crouched behind Elizabeth, trying to soothe her. Emily’s grip on her sister’s arm dropped.   
“No. No. Hey, Emily.” Elizabeth said softly. Emily started gasping short breaths. “Please. Please.”  
“Mom?” Emily asked. Elizabeth sobbed.   
“Grizz, please!” Elizabeth begged. Grizz couldn’t do anything. Emily stopped gasping. Elizabeth clutched her sister’s hands.  
“Hey, I don’t think she’s breathing.” Gwen told Grizz anxiously. “I don’t think she’s breathing!”  
“Give her mouth to mouth!” Luke said.   
“I don’t know how to do that!” Gwen shouted.   
“Just fucking blow!” Luke shouted back. Emily blinked slowly at Elizabeth and Elizabeth whined. Gwen started giving her mouth to mouth, everyone shouting instructions at the same time. Emily’s eyes fluttered shut. Luke pushed Gwen out of the way and started doing chest compressions but Emily didn’t breathe or blink again. Elizabeth’s ears started ringing. She knew everyone was shouting but she couldn’t hear them. The ringing stopped suddenly when Grizz spoke.   
“We need to decide whether to bury her here or take her home. The rest is out of ours hands.” Grizz said. All the air left Elizabeth’s body and she couldn’t breathe. Olivia held her from behind but Elizabeth couldn’t let go of Emily’s hands.  
“No. No. No. Fuck that! We can do this!” Luke said. Elizabeth gasped for breath and a large sob racked her body. Olivia yanked her back into her arms and Elizabeth clung to her, unable to keep herself upright. Luke kept shouting but it was useless. She was dead.

“Elizabeth? Hey, look at me.” Gwen said softly. She held Elizabeth’s face in her hands. Both girls still had tears streaming down their cheeks but only Gwen could speak. “We need to go. We need to bring her back to town, okay?”  
“Can she walk?” Grizz asked, his voice hollow. He and everyone else had strapped on their backpacks. They were standing around Elizabeth, waiting for her to break out of her shock so they could leave.   
“Yeah. Can you just give her a minute?” Gwen asked. She sniffed and turned back to Elizabeth, still holding her face gently. “I know it hurts. I know. But we have to bring her home. Okay? Can you stand up?”  
Elizabeth stood with Gwen’s help. Grizz slid her backpack over her shoulders and Luke picked up her sister’s dead body. Gwen took Elizabeth’s hand and silently, they walked back towards town. 

It was night by the time they got to town. Elizabeth knew that people had been talking but she didn’t understand any of what they were saying. She didn’t understand anything. Grizz opened the church doors and they were met with a group of people inches away. Luke pushed past them. People gasped when they saw Emily’s limp body. Luke carried her to the front and set her on a table. Everyone gathered around them and stared.  
“She died from a snake bite.” Luke said. “Her whole body just shut down. We did everything we could but we couldn’t save her.”  
Elizabeth’s body was wracked with fresh sobs. She turned into Gwen and buried her face, unable to keep herself quiet. Gwen didn’t try to soothe her, she just held her as she sobbed.   
“So we’re gonna bury her tomorrow. Before it starts to smell. So, I’m gonna need a couple of guys.” Grizz said over the sound of Elizabeth’s crying.  
“There’s nothing out there guys. Just a whole bunch of… just woods that go on forever. We’re all alone.” Luke said. “This isn’t our home.”  
After everyone left the church, Grizz, Luke, Clark, and Jason carried Emily’s body to the back of the church. Gwen, Olivia, and Helena led Elizabeth behind them. They sat her down against the brick wall and watched as the boys dug a grave. Gwen called Lexie and she joined them behind the church, taking Elizabeth into her arms and trying to calm her sobs. By the time they were done digging her grave, Elizabeth had cried herself out. Lexie still held her in her arms, stroking her back. The girls watched in hollow silence as they lowered Emily’s body in the grave. Helena prayed over her and they covered her body with dirt.   
“My mom is gonna be so mad at me.” Elizabeth whispered miserably.   
“No. No, she’s not.” Lexie said softly into her ear. “No one is going to be mad at you. There was nothing you could do.”  
“It’s my fault.” Elizabeth said, her breathing became uneven and Lexie rocked her gently. “It’s my fault.”  
Lexie shushed her. They finished burying her and Olivia stuck two twigs she had fashioned into a cross in the dirt as a grave marker.   
“Do you want to say anything, Elizabeth?” Gwen asked softly. Elizabeth shook her head.   
“No. I can’t- I can’t.” She whispered, her voice cracking.   
“Okay. That’s okay. Let’s go home, yeah?” Lexie said. Lexie and Gwen stood Elizabeth up, leaving their packs at the church. Clark drove the girls back to Elizabeth’s house. Lexie took her inside and put her right into bed, crawling in beside her. She pulled Elizabeth into her arms and turned off the light.


	2. Chapter 2

Ten miserable days later, Elizabeth was sitting beside her sister’s grave. Grizz sat silently beside her as he had every morning since Emily was buried. Luke came too, most days, but he left when Elizabeth arrived. Pictures, flowers, and candles were scattered around her grave, left by her friends and classmates. Even if they didn’t know Emily, her death made their situation feel real. Emily Warner, first death in New West Ham. First sign that things were not going to be okay. Elizabeth was still having trouble wrapping her head around the fact that her mom and sister were both gone. She picked up a flower, a blue hydrangea, and twisted the stem between her fingers. She’d always assumed that being alone would be the worst feeling in the world but really, she only felt hollow.  
“Lexie left that.” Grizz said quietly, nodding his head toward the flower in her hand.  
“Yeah?” Elizabeth asked. She glanced at him and he nodded, wiping a stray tear off his cheek. “They were her favorite. Both of ours.”  
Elizabeth sniffed. She still had trouble speaking without bursting into tears but she was finally starting to gain control over it. Grizz offered her his hand and she laced her fingers between his.   
“Um... our dad… really loved them. I don’t know why.” She said, her voice tight. She forced herself to keep talking. “When we were little he would buy us bouquets on our birthdays and holidays. Valentine’s Day, especially. It was his favorite. He, um… he just fucking loved flowers.”  
Elizabeth laughed, tears finally breaking loose and streaming down her cheeks. Grizz squeezed her hand, his own tears welling up in his eyes.   
“He would only buy blue hydrangeas. They were his favorite. I still don’t know why. He just loved flowers. He loved giving them to people. Our mom got a fresh bouquet like, every week. It was silly.” Elizabeth said. Her voice was squeaky and wavering but she didn’t let herself stop. “When he died, our mom only used blue hydrangeas at his funeral. Tons of them, like everywhere. I never thought I’d be able to look at them again afterwards… And then a month later, on Valentines Day, Emily and I went into the living room and the room was just full- just full of them. I mean, she must have spent like four hundred dollars on these fucking flowers.”  
Grizz laughed. Elizabeth laughed too but it turned to a sob. She let go of Grizz’s hand to wipe her tears and he pulled her into his chest. She took calming breaths and sniffed loudly.  
“It was my fault.” She said.  
“No, it wasn’t. Elizabeth, it wasn’t.” Grizz said softly.  
“It was.” She said, nodding. “It was. I- She- She would kill me for telling you this but… she had a crush on Luke. Just a small one. But I forced her to go on the trip. I thought that if I got them together… if they- if they just spent time with each other, I could- It was so stupid.”  
“You couldn’t have known what would happen.” Grizz told her.   
“No.” She agreed. “It was a freak accident. I mean no one knows they’re allergic to snake bites… until it’s too late, right? I just-” Elizabeth took a shuddering breath. “She was a really good person. I just wanted to make her happy.”  
Elizabeth devolved into tears. Grizz’s tears soaked the top of her head as he held her. She caught her breath a few minutes later. The tears faded soon after but she didn’t move away from Grizz yet.   
“Thank you for being here.” She said softly. Grizz sniffed loudly.  
“Yeah. Of course.” He sniffed again. Elizabeth sat up. Grizz wiped his face. “Hey, I uh, I read something that I thought you might like. It goes, ‘Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them’. It’s uh, George Elliot.”  
“Thank you.” Elizabeth said. She smiled softly at Grizz and he nodded.  
“Of course.” He said. Elizabeth stood up and brushed the dirt off her pants. Grizz watched her. “Are you going?”  
“Yeah. Uh… Gwen invited me over… for a girls day. It feels… I don’t know. It feels a little fucked up. But I can’t sit here forever, right?” She asked awkwardly.  
“No, it’s good. Emily wouldn’t want you to stop…. Uh, living.” Grizz said. Elizabeth winced a little and Grizz cleared his throat.   
“Okay.” She said softly. She tried to steel herself and Grizz gave her a confident look.   
“You’ll be okay.” He said. She believed him, though she didn’t know why. She nodded in thanks and left for Gwen’s. 

An hour later, Elizabeth was sandwiched between Gwen and Olivia. Her hair was in an elaborate braid, courtesy of Olivia. She was smiling for what felt like the first time in years. Gwen went to the kitchen and came back with a pitcher of screwdrivers and a bag of chips. Erika cheered and poured everyone drinks while Gwen sat back on the couch. Elizabeth tucked herself into Gwen’s side but took the drink when it was offered to her.  
“Okay, let’s play a game. Fuck, Marry, Kill. My version, my rules. You pick one.” Gwen said. Elizabeth groaned.  
“Seriously?” She asked. “That’s what you want to do today?”  
“Yes.” Gwen said, leaving no room for Elizabeth to complain. “Now, if you marry them you can still fuck them, I guess. It just won’t be the same. And no current boyfriends.”  
“Interesting, so you aren’t marrying Clark?” Madison asked.  
“Eat shit, Madison.” Gwen said. “Okay, first up… uh, Luke?”  
Elizabeth’s smile dropped but Gwen couldn’t see.   
“Uh, shouldn’t we wait for Kelly to get back?” Olivia asked, seeing Elizabeth’s upset look.   
“Luke.” Gwen repeated.   
“Well, marry.” Madison said.  
“Definitely.” Olivia agreed.  
“I’m thinking… fuck.” Erika said. Elizabeth didn’t answer and Gwen didn’t prod her. They all sipped their drinks.  
“Okay, uh, Gordie.” Gwen said.   
“Can we just say none of the above?” Erika asked with a laugh.   
“Marry.” Elizabeth said quietly. Gwen gave her a surprised look and Elizabeth shrugged. “He’d probably end up being a doctor or something and make a lot of money.”  
“Okay.” Gwen said, laughing. Elizabeth’s small smile came back. “Uh… Campbell?”  
“Kill.” The girls all said immediately. “Definitely.”  
“How about Harry?” Gwen asked. Madison raised her eyebrows and Gwen shrugged. “What? Kelly’s not here.”  
Gwen, Olivia, Madison, and Erika let out a collective ‘fuck’. Elizabeth was the only one to say kill.  
“Really?” Erika asked. “He’s hot.”  
“He’s annoying.” Elizabeth said.   
“Yeah, but you don’t have to talk while you fuck.” Madison pointed out. The girls laughed.  
“Did I ever tell you I met a guy?” Gwen asked. “Over my spring break in Haiti at my public service program. We built houses together.”  
“Don’t tell Clark.” Erika warned jokingly.  
“His name was Seth. We were both gonna go to Wesleyan. He still is, I guess.” Gwen continued, the mood somber. “We can’t kill them all. We might have to marry them one of these days. I mean… who else is there?”  
The girls were quiet for a minute. Olivia took a hearty sip of her drink and looked up at Elizabeth’s blank face.  
“Hey, Liz?” She asked softly. Elizabeth hmmed. “Fuck, marry, or kill: Lexie.”  
“Fuck off.” Elizabeth said, laughing. Gwen poked at Elizabeth’s blushing cheek.   
“Come on, answer!” Olivia said. Elizabeth shook her head no and the girls teased her.  
“Fine, Jesus. Um….. I don’t know. Marry, I guess?” She answered quietly. Erika gasped dramatically.  
“You would marry Lexie?” She asked.  
“It’s just a game.” Elizabeth said. She tried to stop blushing but she could feel her cheeks burning. “It doesn’t mean anything.”  
“Elizabeth, that’s gay.” Madison joked. Elizabeth kicked her.   
“Okay, okay… uh, Grizz?” Gwen asked, trying to help Elizabeth out.   
“Marry.” All the girls chorused. 

Elizabeth opted to skip the party, despite Gwen’s whining, on account of the party sounding like a fucking nightmare. She started regretting her decision by the time she got back to her house. She stood on the small path that led to her front door, frozen in place, staring into the empty windows. The light in her mother’s bedroom was still on. It had been since the night the busses dropped them off and she couldn’t bring herself to turn it off. As if a fucking bedside lamp was a symbol of her mother, turn it off and she’s gone for good. She felt like an idiot but made no move to march upstairs and turn it off. It was starting to rain and Elizabeth forced herself to move to her front door, her hand rested on the doorknob. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and pulled her hand off the knob like it had burned her.   
“Hello?” She said.  
“Tell me you aren’t at Harry Bingham’s fucking party.” Lexie demanded. Elizabeth lowered the volume on her phone before she answered.  
“I’m not at Harry Bingham’s fucking party.” She said. Lexie was quiet for a long time and it made Elizabeth a little nervous. The part of her brain that thought of Lexie as a feral cat momentarily overpowered the part that thought of Lexie as her best friend. “Lex? Are you going to say something or are you just going to breathe into the phone like a sexy stalker?”  
“I was trying to listen for Clark and Jason jerking each other off in the background.” Lexie said. Elizabeth laughed. She leaned her back against the front door and faced the street, an amused smile on her face.  
“I told you I wasn’t at the party. If you want to see that, you’ll have to look at Gwen’s private Snapchat.” Elizabeth said.  
“Snapchat isn’t working. We’re under the dome.” Lexie said boredly. Elizabeth’s smile faltered. Lexie cleared her throat awkwardly. “What are you doing?”  
“Trying to convince myself that my empty house is not a metaphor for my life.” Elizabeth said honestly. Lexie wasn’t sure if she should laugh.   
“Want me to come over?” She asked. Elizabeth bit down on her lip and squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t want to go inside her house ever again.   
“Not really.” She said softly.   
“Wanna come over?” Lexie asked.  
“Yes.” Elizabeth said immediately. She stepped off her front porch and started walking down the street before Lexie could say anything back. “I’ll be there in two minutes.”  
“I’ll be waiting with bated breath.” Lexie said sarcastically.   
“In that case, I’ll walk slower.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short lol. I thought I would be able to get a ton of writing done during quarantine but everyone is using my Netflix account.


End file.
